:Project64

Project64 is considered a highly compatible emulator which does not require the use of a Basic Input/Output System (BIOS). The emulator has basic features, supports multiplayer, and allows alternating the aspect ratio without cropping or quality drop.{{cite web|url=https://www.digitaltrends.com/gaming/best-emulators/|title=Best Emulators (NES, SNES, Genesis, N64, and more)|author=Brandon Widder|date=April 20, 2013|website=Digital Trends|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130906073233/http://www.digitaltrends.com/gaming/best-emulators/|archive-date=September 6, 2013|url-status=live|access-date=March 26, 2014}}

Development of Project64 began in March 1998 with a small team consisting of Zilmar and others. In September 1999, Zilmar was introduced to Jabo, who was developing an N64 Emulator of his own. In December 1999, Jabo was invited to join Zilmar on a collaborative effort for Project64. Jabo initially did not intend on being the RDP/Graphics developer, having a greater interest in assembly language and the central processing unit (CPU) but found himself often working on the graphics aspects.{{cite web |last=Redah |title=Interview with Zilmar and Jabo of Project64 |url=https://www.emulation64.com/pj64interview.php |website=Emulation64}}

The authors have released certain parts of the source code for the now unsupported version 1.4. Project64k is a modified version of Project64 1.4 which provides multiplayer netplay abilities via integrating the Kaillera networking client. Players are able to join servers where multiple games may be hosted with other features remaining consistent with Project64 1.4.{{cite web|url=https://pj64k.blogspot.com/|title=Project 64 Kaillera|website=PJ64K|access-date=March 20, 2014}} In July 2011, Jabo decided to stop developing Project64 and released a modified version of 1.6 with some improvements.{{cite web|url=http://www.jabosoft.com/articles/114#74 |title=Project64 1.6.1 |publisher=Jabosoft.com |access-date=2015-05-01}} He also stated that no more releases of the source code were going to happen.{{cite web|url=http://www.jabosoft.com/articles/114 |title=Project64 1.6.1 |publisher=Jabosoft.com |access-date=2015-05-01}} However, in April 2013, Zilmar released both Project64 2.0 and an official repository of its source code that was made available on the Project64 website making the software fully open-source and accessible to everyone. It was mentioned that a major part of the code was rewritten in this version.{{cite web|url=http://forum.pj64-emu.com/showthread.php?t=3573|title=Project64 2.0 is now available and open source!|last=Zilmar|date=April 1, 2013|website=Project64 Forums|access-date=January 5, 2015|archive-date=5 January 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150105151042/http://forum.pj64-emu.com/showthread.php?t=3573|url-status=dead}} Then about a month later, Project64 2.1 was released.{{cite web|url=http://forum.pj64-emu.com/showthread.php?t=3678|title=Project64 2.1|last=Zilmar|date=May 1, 2013|work=Project64 Forums|access-date=January 5, 2015}} In April 2015, Project64 2.2 was released along with its source code in a GitHub repository.{{cite web|url=http://forum.pj64-emu.com/showthread.php?t=4969|title=Project64 2.1|last=Zilmar|date=April 1, 2015|work=Project64 Forums|access-date=May 1, 2015}} From May 2015 onwards Project64 2.2 was able to play 64DD disk roms.{{cite web|url=https://64dd.org/|title=64DD.org|date=May 1, 2015|access-date=September 2, 2016}} On August 1, 2016, Project64 version 2.3 was released, eventually being updated to version 2.3.2 in January 2017.{{Cite web|url=https://www.pj64-emu.com/public-releases|title=Project64 Download - Windows|website=www.pj64-emu.com|access-date=2019-06-20}} On May 27, 2021, Project64 version 3.0.0 was released to celebrate its 20th anniversary.{{Cite web |url=https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2021/05/project64_celebrates_its_20th_anniversary_with_a_3_0_update |website=www.nintendolife.com |title=Project64 Celebrates Its 20th Anniversary With A 3.0 Update |access-date=2021-05-27}}

In 2011, PC World praised the emulator for offering more "advanced settings" than Nintendo's official Nintendo 64 emulation available through the Virtual Console, such as the ability to change the game's aspect ratio, but criticized the emulation for being imperfect, describing it as "rough around the edges".{{cite web|url=https://www.pcworld.com/article/239155/how_to_emulate_the_nintendo_64_n64_on_your_pc.html|title=How to Emulate the Nintendo 64 (N64) on Your PC|last=Garnett|first=Alex|date=September 1, 2011|website=PC World|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170801131739/https://www.pcworld.com/article/239155/how_to_emulate_the_nintendo_64_n64_on_your_pc.html|archive-date=August 1, 2017|url-status=live|access-date=March 18, 2014}}

However, up to version 2.2, there were major safety concerns of installing Project64 through its official installer after numerous reports on social media websites of the installers containing malware.{{Cite web|url=https://www.reddit.com/r/Games/comments/1qloev/a_warning_to_those_looking_to_download_an_n64/|title=r/Games - A warning to those looking to download an N64 emulator. Project64's installer is bundled with malware. Not completely sure if it actually installs, so I advise some small caution.|website=reddit|date=14 November 2013 |language=en|access-date=2019-06-20}} In July 2016, this malware code was removed from both the source code and its installers. A nagware screen began to occur after the release of Project64 2.3. The nagware screen grew more persistent with successive launches as a forced waiting period is installed. The emulation community has since created a workaround to prevent this issue.{{Cite web|url=http://emulation.gametechwiki.com/index.php/Project64|title=Project64 - Emulation General Wiki|website=emulation.gametechwiki.com|access-date=2019-06-20}}

• List of video game emulators
• Mupen64Plus, an alternative Nintendo 64 emulator

{{Reflist|2}}

• {{Official website|https://www.pj64-emu.com}}
• {{github|project64/project64}}
• [https://www.jabosoft.com Jabo's website]

{{Nintendo emulators}}

{{Nintendo 64}}

{{Portal bar|Video games|Free and open-source software}}

Category:2001 software

Category:Free video game console emulators

Category:Free software programmed in C++

Category:Nintendo 64 emulators

Category:Windows emulation software

Category:Windows-only free software